Al Wathbah, 40 minutes south of Abu Dhabi city
If you want VIP camels, Al Wathbah is your place. It has the biggest prizes and attracts the best Gulf racers.
Drive to the starting line for complimentary ginger spiced tea and qimat dumplings served at your car window or sit back and enjoy the races from the glass enclosed grandstand overlooking the finish line. Every seat has its own flatscreen that broadcasts live races and camel statistics.
Directions: From Abu Dhabi island, follow the E22 off Maqta bridge and take the E30 south. Endurance horse races at Emirates International Endurance Village are a short drive away. Schedule available here.
Camel to Watch: Al Gharbia. Mohammed Zayed, a trainer from Madinat Zayed, has made his mark in racing world by naming 300 or so camels after Al Gharbia, the Western Region. Chances are you will see at least one.
Suan, 20 minutes south of Ras Al Khaimah
Rolling red dunes, dark ghaff trees, camels racing in early morning mists. If you want ambiance, Suan is your place. Its dunes give panoramic views and you can dune bash beside the track during races instead of sticking to tarmac. Two national sports rolled into one.
Directions: Head south on the E18 towards RAK airport. Make a right turn about two km after Saqr Park. You will see a stand-alone minaret and a RAK Poultry office with egg-shaped windows. Follow this road south-west to the track.
Camel to watch: Shaheen, one of the all time greats in the short history of Gulf racing, came from these very dunes. They say he was so sweet, he always smelt of saffron. Descendants named in his honour still race at Suan and across the country.
Sweihan, the Desert
Legends are made in Sweihan, and not just on its track. Every autumn when the weather cools, herders cross deserts to breed their camels with Sweihan’s sires.
Directions: From Abu Dhabi take the E20 south. Turn north onto the E16 and look for the camel track after four km. It is an hour from Abu Dhabi.
From Dubai, take the E66 southbound to Al Ain, turn west at the Al Hiyar-Abu Dhabi on the E20 and north on the E16. It is 80 minutes from Nad Al Sheba.
From Al Ain, exit the city on the E22 and go north to the E16. It is 40 minutes from the city.
Camels to watch: Ghazi and Nassi, sons of Jabbar the Great, are retired and living out their days in the dunes of the Advanced Scientific Group Veterinary Research Centre. Watch their offspring race at the nearby track.
Marmoun, 30 minutes south of Dubai
Tack makers who follow the race circuit don’t stop talking about Marmoun. The Omani craftswomen love Dubai and its Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, who is adored for his poetry and generosity around the track. Women pin his photo to their tents and talk of his love for camels. During festivals, the Marmoun market shines.
Directions: Take the E66 south. The track is about 6km after the E77, about 30 minutes south of Nad Al Sheba.
Camel to watch: Wasali may not be the world’s most famous camel, or the fastest, but this six-year-old has my heart. Wasali is named for Al Wasl Football Club and all the other camels in his herd have football inspired names. Wasali and his football-crazed owner Matar wear accessories in club colours. Look for banana yellow.
Al Shahaniya, 40 minutes west of Doha
I have not met many Qatari race camels and have never been to Doha. However, I can assure you that their beauty camels are my favourites (sorry, Kaydah), that the Qataris compose some seriously good camel poetry and that they know how to party*. On this basis alone, if you are in Doha I recommend you head to the six-kilometer track, which is surrounded by small farms where people keep their camels. And lucky you, Qatar has a pretty informative camel website in Arabic.
Directions: north of Shahaniya, about 30 kilometers west of Doha on the Dukhan road.
*In a halal, campfire and qawah kind of way.
Looking for any old camel?
If you want to meet a camel, go to any race track - there is one in any emirate except rocky Fujairah - and you’ll find small farms nearby. Every farm has a handler or two, who is often happy to off his herd.
There is a Sharjah track at Al Dhaid, an Ajman track at Al Tallah and an Umm Al Quwain track at Al Libsah.
Coming Up: When to Find Camels - schedules and race times.
Questions? Tweet me @al_wabr
